Author Archives: J.P. Donlon

Since the 1980s, creeping precedent has allowed federal agencies to amass considerable regulatory and enforcement power. Undaunted by recent defeats in the courts, the SEC wants to become both judge and jury. But one small cap hedge fund managed to stop them in their tracks.

Two external forces are driving CEOs to distraction. One is the fact that the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) was built on shifting sands, and the other is the regulatory overreach of federal agencies such as the SEC, EPA, NLRB and others whose further intrusions into the marketplace are making business leaders cautious and lawyers rich. Combined, these unholy forces add to the uncertainty plaguing the U.S. economy.

In the 10th annual survey of CEOs concerning their views of the best and worst states for business, over 500 CEOs across the U.S. responded, grading states with which they were familiar on measures including tax and regulatory regime, the quality of the workforce, and the quality of the living environment.

Even iconic brands need fixing from time to time. But instead of the easy fixes, Bob Iger played the long game by addressing Disney’s cultural issues head-on with a three-pronged strategy, making it a stronger, more profitable company with greater depth in its overall brand. The takeaway for CEOs is that, yes, culture—and persistence—matter.

Energy is the pillar upon which economic growth is built. “The difference between the developed world and everybody else,” says author Robert Bryce, “is [affordable] electricity.” But simple math and basic physics show that chasing energy sources with low power densities will not get us to where we need to be.

Fifty years ago, during the high-water mark of American economic dominance, 29% of the workers in the U.S. were in manufacturing. Today that figure is closer to 11%. Historically, “invented in the USA” meant made in the USA. Today, that no longer holds true. Apple can design and distribute iPods, iPhones and iPads in the U.S. without having any significant production facilities here at all.

Climate change, pollution, famine, war, water shortages, terrorism; it’s enough to give one “collapse anxiety,” but is it accurate? Not according to Robert Bryce, an energy writer-researcher who has been covering business since 1989. His books, “Power Hungry,” and the recently published “Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper,” are exhaustively researched handbooks on how technologies, particularly in energy, are making our ...

While the nation-state is far from dead, more and more regions are feeling encumbered—if not suffocated—by centralized control. A large body of empirical research has examined the relationship between the size of government and economic outcomes; and based on that research, the U.S. has much room to scale back.